Contributors
Violet Pasztor, Founder and CEO, Canadian Yoga Alliance
See The Origin and Roots of the Canadian Yoga Alliance. 
Ashley Voth
Ashley is CYA-RYT 200 certified and completed her YTT at Anandavan Yoga Peeth in Kalimpong, India. She is currently enrolled in a second YTT in Winnipeg, Manitoba. She holds certification for Advanced Reiki Practitioner and has studied Ayurvedic Medicine. She has always had a heart for animals so she also enjoys doing yoga & Reiki with animals as well as humans. She offers private or group instruction, workshops, Ayurvedic yoga coaching and Reiki. She is motivated to provide educational, supportive, and empowering healing arts for others.
Voth Healing Arts voth.ashley@gmail.com 
Bradlee Zrudlo
Bradlee is a children and family yoga teacher at the Bodhi Tree Yoga Studio in Kemptville, Ontario.
Bradlee's spiritual journey has accelerated in the last 15 years and has lead to her hearing the guidance of her heart much more clearly and to learning to live a more authentic life. She is very grateful for the opportunity to learn, grow and evolve, with her heart in the lead! 
Elana Epstein
Elana is committed to guide people to awaken. As a yoga instructor, Reiki practitioner and spiritual guide in Vancouver BC, her greatest passion lies in helping individuals find their deepest place of connection to themselves and their relationship to life.
Elana sees yoga as a way to welcome a healing journey into the self. As a teacher, she creates an environment that is safe, intuitive, calming and inspiring. Woven into posture is a thread of spiritual guidance that allows students to deepen their understanding of what it means to journey within. Elana guides students along a journey towards self-realization and curiosity. She weaves a practice of insight, availability and awakening into movement and stillness – connection, union and love. elanaepstein@shaw.ca 604 992 9531 
Irum Naqvi
Irum is a yoga teacher, registered with Canadian Yoga Alliance, and Director of the Center for Natural Living, a Registered Yoga School – RYS200. Irum is a Canadian Yoga Alliance registered/certified 500 hours trained teacher.
Irum has been practicing yoga for 25 years. Influenced by all aspects of Hatha, Ashtanga, Iyengar, and Kripalu yoga, Irum focuses her practice on meditation and breath awareness, guiding students into their deeper physical and emotional space. Combining effort with ease, play and contemplation, her yoga sessions bring transformation that leaves one energized, confident and ready to follow the inner calling. On and off the mat, Irum provides a space that encourages everyone to explore his or her inner being, discover the true self and unlock layers of conditionings and Samskaras (deep-seated impressions that guide our actions). Irum's quest to understand life’s purpose led her to yoga and reiki. Her philosophy – the deeper we go, the lighter we become. Irum has organized yoga retreats, compiled a 100-page yoga training manual, published a Foto Book Stillness in Chaos and trains yoga teachers. She has taught in Canada, Costa Rica, the United States, Austria, Belgium, Israel, Pakistan, and Egypt. Follow her through her website: www.irumyoga.com and find her training schedule/ locations on www.centerfornaturalliving.com info@irumyoga.com www.irumyoga.com 647-299-7095 
Erica Beehler
Erica has been practising yoga since she was 15, at first as a form of exercise. Over the years, she gradually learned that yoga was more of a spiritual exercise than a physical form. In 2015, she chose to spend the summer living in Nicaragua to obtain her yoga teaching certification within the Canadian Yoga Alliance. There, she learned to truly be present and in the moment, and to practise patience. Living in a third world country made her appreciate the smaller things in life, and she gained a further respect for different cultures. This sparked a desire to travel the world and learn about different customs around the globe. She currently resides in London, Ontario studying dietetics and privately teaching yoga to seniors. Her next adventure will take her to Japan where she'll study their culture and forms of meditation. freshtodeathyoga@gmail.com 
Janette Damsma
Artist and Metaphysicist, specializing in Animal Communications
Janette lives in the Okanagan of British Columbia and is a Self Healing Light Bearer, Artist, Master of Metaphysical Sciences, Practitioner of Reiki and Quantum Shamanics, and a well-established Cosmic Girl, bringing to Light the Universal Vibrations that are here to assist us on our Earthly Journey. Janette works with people, as well as animals. She has healed herself from symptoms of epilepsy, depression, sexual and emotional abuse, addiction and chronic fatigue, through meditation, light visualization, Spirit Guide communications, psychological reprocessing, and other holistic healing modalities. Janette applies her experience as a healer to everything that she does in life, which includes: painting, writing, channeling, meditating, massage and energy healing, videography and photography, fire dancing, song writing, teaching, counselling, waitressing, and training and rehabilitating horses. Janette is available for healing work for people and animals alike, for Reiki and massage, self-care counselling, Medicine Card readings, metaphysical apprenticeships, healing circle facilitation and as an artist for photography and commissioned oil paintings. Serving Penticton and Oliver, BC (250) 488-4310 paragonhealing@gmail.com www.bluedragonmedicine.com 
Katie Wilken
A mama, a maker, and a Kundalini yogi, Katie has learned to live and love with full surrender and compassion.
Her mission as a women's wellness warrior, Kundalini yoga teacher, public speaker and essential oil educator is to teach the depths and radiance of our own beings through powerful and practical tools that each of us can use daily to transform our lives. Her heart beats to help this world heal and that starts with herself and her little family. Raising kind and compassionate boys is a big part of that! Katie lives in Kincardine, Ontario. www.katiewilken.com www.facebook.com/Katie Wilken Instagram: @katiejanewilken 
Liza Zaki
Liza fully embraces the benefits and healing powers of yoga. Dedicated to her yoga practice, yoga makes her feel, "grounded, yet light, centred, peaceful and focused”. Yoga for Liza is "powerful, yet gentle and healing". Yoga originally helped Liza cope with the pressures of corporate life, until eventually yoga became her chosen life. In 2015, Liza journeyed to Chennai, India, where she lived and learned from the "Oneness" monks, saturating herself in their yoga and meditation environment. Liza's Power, Yin and meditation classes beautifully express her passion for teaching. She brings her students to a deeper level, beyond the physical asanas. Focusing on the present moment, feeling peace, strength and happiness all in the same practice, is what Liza’s classes are all about. Join Liza's practice; embrace, breathe and relax... Join her Facebook page YogaLiza and stay tuned to her latest practices and adventures, as well as with various meditations and videos. www.facebook.com/Yogaliza1 yogaliza1@gmail.com 
Oda Lindner
Oda has been involved in yoga for quite a while and has been teaching it for about two decades. She studied yoga in India, Europe and North America and loves philosophy, pranayama and movement. She is a yoga teacher and therapist who lives in Niagara on the Lake, Ontario. She is currently on a sabbatical leave and is adding to her knowledge of breath and Marmani. She can be reached at odayoga@gmail.com 
Slava Goloubov
Aside from Slava’s full-time practice as a yogi, she constantly pursues different disciplines, from hand-balancing in the circus to spatial awareness in gymnastics to finding strength and fluidity in Acro yoga, contact dance and Capoeira. He says, “If it is an impossible task, it is a good path to pursue because if it never ends we will keep learning, growing, and sharing. I welcome you to walk with me on this path and explore the true potential that I know you have inside of you”. www.slavagoloubov.com www.instagram.com/slavagoloubov www.facebook.com/slavagoloubov 
Yves Panneton
Yves Panneton is a CYA-RYT Gold member of the Canadian Yoga Alliance. He was introduced to yoga at the age of 5 years when his parents went on a yoga vacation in Val Morin, Quebec where Swami Vishnu-Devananda had established his ashram. Yves has over 30 years of experience in the practice of yoga. Over the years, he completed his Teacher Training Course, Advance Teacher Training Course and took the Sadhana Intensive during which time he practiced under the watchful eye of a guru trained by Swami Vishnu-Devananda. 
Caybin Sturgess
Caybin is a 23-year-old male from Australia, interested and inspired by the ways of the universe through science, religions, spirituality, nature and human interaction. He has explored the energies and healing modalities of Reiki, chakra balancing, singing bowls, meditations, yoga, qi gong, the teachings of native Americans, the ways of Ayurveda and he has listened to the wisdom of Aboriginal Australian elders. 
Daniel Kotsos
Kosta Daniel Kotsos, is a professional athlete and trainer, holistic nutritionist, yoga and culinary teacher. He has spent the last 7 years helping people chase and achieve their goals in health and fitness. He loves what he does because it was this path, in health and fitness, which saved him from a self-destructive lifestyle that had just about consumed him. He shares his skills with others in the hope that they will enrich, and even save, the lives of people who want to better themselves through health and fitness. dankotsos@hotmail.com www.black-lotus.co 
Georgina Kyllo
Georgina was introduced to yoga in the late 90s by a dear friend, Jeanne Lamb. Her first class, she remembers thinking she wouldn’t enjoy herself as she sat surrounded by oddly dressed yogis holding unbecoming postures and discussing their latest trips to India. When it was time for introductions, she nervously said her name and began to cry. She felt silly, unable to speak through her tears. The woman beside her patted her knee and the instructor smiled and said, “It’s ok Georgina. This is normal. Just know you are in a safe place, now, to cry.” This compassion from complete strangers was all so foreign to her. She felt love. Yoga flowed in and out of her life and but it wasn’t until her Dad got ill that it became her life. Yoga supported her to grieve and let go in a kind way. After her Dad passed, she met her teachers Karuna and Paul Erickson at one of their Heart Yoga Retreats. It was the healing experience she deeply needed. Since then, she has shown up on her mat, encouraged her family to practice, received her teaching certification and opened a yoga studio with her daughters. She enjoys the gentleness of yoga, connecting breath with subtle movements that strengthen and soften you. Yoga has created her way of life. It has helped her to cope with loss, anxiety and her battle with depression. When she teaches, she is able to bring in her experience of dealing with depression and anxiety and knows how to truly connect the healing aspect of yoga and breath to the practice. She knows that when you have experienced mental illness yourself, it carries weight. She can speak of how she was able to rise out of that dark place and into a healing way of life. The peace you crave can be accomplished. Now with 6 beautiful grandchildren, she also loves teaching youth yoga and sharing so much of the compassion and joy that yoga has taught her. She believes that all of us truly need positive body yoga that connects us to ourselves. We all need to engage in self-care and self-love. She found that yoga is the perfect way to experience it whether you are on your mat or out in this crazy world we live in. Her goal is to live a long and healthy life so she can truly spoil her grandchildren with yoga and chanting but also her gift to them of more "Nani" time, which includes snuggle naps, dunking hobnobs in tea and many hugs and kisses. 200-Hr RYT (Heart Yoga: Karuna and Paul Erickson) Multi Style Yoga Institute Certification 500 RYT Currently working towards Yoga Therapy Certification. (Ajna Yoga, Victoria BC) www.iamyogashuswap.com. 
Stephanie Ouellette-Rienks
Stephanie is a lover of life and believer in everyday magic. In the summer she can be found pretending to be a mermaid while running her summer business Suptopia Floating Yoga in Muskoka, Ontario. Find more of her writing, videos, or connect for a SUP yoga class at https://steph.yoga. www.steph.yoga info@steph.yoga Instagram: @gypsygirlyoga / @suptopia |
Joanne Preece, Editor
See Editors
Alyssa Geiger
Alyssa is a yoga teacher and Ayurvedic guide based out of Calgary, Alberta. She serves by the philosophy that real peace begins with sacred self-care. Through her passion project, Pommier Care Company, she creates Kosha Care Maps – unique and personalized self-care plans for compassionate (and busy) care-givers, based on the wisdom of Ayurveda and yoga.
alyssa@pommier.care www.pommier.care www.facebook.com/pommiercare instagram: @pommier.care twitter: @pommiercare 
Dr. Jasmine Gercke
(Dr. Jazz) is a traditionally trained Hatha Yoga Master with her Phd in Holistic Medicine. Dr. Gercke brings together Western medicine and Eastern wisdom to help individuals and audiences learn to heal from stress-based illnesses such as insomnia, anxiety, and career-burnout.
Her Jazz Yoga Therapy Method is based in neuroscience, positive psychology and mindfulness, combined with sound healing music at 432hertz. It is the first ever method to combine yoga with music in this cellular healing combination researched by Dr. Jazz herself. Dr. Jazz completed her studies in business in the UK, ran a yoga school for seven years and has won many achievement awards. After surviving career burnout, she decided to focus her practice in Yoga Therapy and spreads her method in the world teaching various yoga and mindfulness techniques through her coaching program and her TV show Jazz Yoga Ayurveda. Dr. Jazz is a highly sought after professional speaker, teaching the medicine behind mindfulness to groups and corporations. She is an expert contributor to media outlets such as MaTV, The Gazette, Radio-Canada, CTV. Dr. Jazz shares her story and wisdom through her speaking events “ Your Breath is your Lifeline”. www.jazzyoga.ca www.jasminegercke.com 
Gopala Amir Yaffa
Gopala has been connecting people through yoga for over 22 years now. His unique style of interactive social yoga has won the hearts of thousands of people all around the world.
Gopala have trained over 12,000 yoga teachers through his Rainbow Kids Yoga, Rainbow Partner & Community Yoga and 200/300 hour Yoga Specialty Teacher Trainings. Gopala is passionate about creating beautiful shapes while doing group yoga together in a circle, and is always endeavoring to create new ways to bring people closer together in body, mind and spirit through yoga. www.rainbowyogatraining.com Info@rainbowyogatraining.com 
Samantha Howick
Avidya in a Gentle Light
Samantha was born in Montreal and now lives in Lebanon. She holds yoga workshops and classes internationally. She began practicing yoga and meditation in her late teens and has been teaching since 2000. She is an avid practitioner who respects the core technique of the Krisnamarcharya lineage.
Her study is one rooted deeply in traditional yogic teachings while being true to many streams of influence, which have deepened her experience of yoga. Tantra, Kundalini, Bhakti, Tao Shiatsu and Shamanic healing arts—many gurus of the past and present shine light along her path. A student of both Eastern and Western philosophy, she incorporates various traditions into her classes while always being true to traditional wisdom. From the scriptures to the yoga mat, Samantha’s creativity and sense of joy can be seen reflected in her training and teaching. A mother of four young children, the candles of awareness, balance, harmony, intuition, acceptance and freedom light her journey… In her teaching she strongly relies on her own practice, intuition, philosophy and spirituality as influences. She intuitively fuses her knowledge of the past to innovatively and spontaneously illuminate her present. Alongside yoga, she holds a B.F.A. in Fine Arts, from France, and works as a painter and sculptor. This artistic ability is part of what makes her workshops and classes unique. She is an innovator. Her works such as Chakra Cleanse, Yoga Nidra, Tibetan Tantra, Gong Bath are some of her many ideas which are being widely used and adapted for their healing and transformative abilities. She is a co-founder of One Yoga Academy (formerly Shiva Shakti Yoga Academy), a comprehensive yoga teacher training program, providing internationally recognized certification—the first of its kind in Lebanon. Training is available in Montreal, U.K. & Lebanon. 
Nicky Sehra
Kulvinder Nicky Sehra is a graduate of History & Corporate Communications and Public Relations in London, Ontario. Nicky is a modern day spiritual woman who enjoys the simple pleasures of life and being in the company of her family and friends. She loves to teach yoga, travel and to inspire and empower humanity through her writings. Her aim is to leave everyone she meets with a sparkle of kindness, peace and love!
Yogacharya Dr. Binod Baral
Dr. Binod is a medical doctor with M.D. and Ph.D. degrees. After being trained in Hatha yoga by swami Shree Krishna Shaharsha Buddhe of Bombay, in his early student period, he achieved the highest level of spirituality. While in Europe, he was invited by Dr. Narayan Dutta Shrimali (https://nikhileshwaranand.wordpress.com/tag/swami-nikhileshwaranand-ji-maharaj)
to his Ashram in Pitampura, Delhi. In 1997, he was blessed by Shrimaliji with Shaktipaat and much other secret Tantric knowledge. Yogacharya Dr. Binod has attained success— so called "Siddhi"in 2 pairs of Sadhanas and is the only disciple of Shrimaliji to represent Swami Nikhileshwaranand Ji Maharaj in North America at the present time. In his “Healing Yoga” teaching, Yogacharya Dr. Binod applies the secret knowledge of Kriya Yoga, Pranayamas, Mudras, Meditation and Tantra to strengthen the overall power of the body to resist infection. Some of his major successes are in the control and treatment of migraine, diabetes, high blood pressure, anxiety, anger control and enlightenment. When asked how it is possible for him to help people, he says, " I use complex methods combined from different parts of Esotericism. Simply speaking, a ball with cosmic energy is formed from the space and is directed to the sick organ, mentally, through the various breathing techniques (Pryanayamas) and yogic poses”. 
Kim Pechet
Kim has been a yoga instructor and belly dance teacher since 1995. She is the teacher, choreographer, narrator and writer of the popular TV show, SHIMMY, which airs throughout the world. She teaches regular classes and workshops in her community and beyond. Kim has been a psychic reader for 25 years and is the owner of Primordial Vibe, a new yoga apparel company that designs and develops bamboo t-shirts and tanks called OMPIRE WEAR. She resides and teaches in Maple Ridge, BC. www.facebook.com/kim.pechet www.facebook.com/OmpireWear 
Mahan Khalsa
Mahan is a committed yogini, dynamic teacher and a devoted mother. For over a decade, Mahan travelled the world studying mystic and alternative healing. She experienced first hand the benefits of living a healthy lifestyle, living as a yogini. As a young woman, she explored yoga, Reiki, meditation, healing arts, aromatherapy and much more! Mahan has a unique way of blending her vast knowledge and life experience into her offerings. As a trained Hatha & Kundalini yoga teacher, she has facilitated classes and workshops for children, elders and yogis, at festivals and retreats and within corporations such as Microsoft. She specializes in yoga and meditation, women’s empowerment, as well as nutrition & detoxification. Mahan found yoga 16 years ago when she was suffering from depression as a young woman. She truly believes that it is her daily yoga practice that supports her in living her life with trust, joy and a sense of purpose, allowing her to share her gifts with the world. Mahan moved back to her home country of Canada 6 years ago and developed an organic food company and fed 1000s of people plant-based snacks and meals. From there she went on to CBC’s Dragon’s Den and pitched her packaged raw food line. An investor helped her open The Golden Aura, an organic, vegan restaurant, in Vancouver in 2014. Mahan currently manages Yoga West, the one and only Kundalini yoga studio in Vancouver, BC! She teaches yoga full-time and is dedicated to providing her students and clients with practical and inspirational tools for a healthier, happier and holier life. www.facebook.com/MahanDharma Instagram: @mahandharmaqueen 
Amy Donais
Amy is a 200-hr. RYT through the Canadian Yoga Alliance. She completed her traditional teacher training in 2013 in Oakville, Ontario. She also received a BA in Secondary Education, Biology, from Waynesburg University in Waynesburg, Pennsylvania in 2012. Shortly after completing some hands-on shadowing and holding many free classes, she started what is now, Amy Donais Yoga: Christ-centered yoga. Her desire to join the practice of yoga and Christian beliefs together is the foundation of her classes; they each include some scripture, worship music and guided prayer time. Too many Christians are afraid of yoga, and not enough yogis who are Christians know how to practically combine the two. She is on a mission to share her love of God and passion for yoga with all those she meets. Her classes are focused on finding more ease in motion and strength with breath. Her style would be described as light-hearted and fun, finding play and peace throughout. Owner/Instructor AD YOGA www.adyoga.ca 
Bruce Minnes
Bruce’s friendship with yoga began over 15 years ago as a runner looking for better balance. As with most relationships, this constant companionship has shown its sweetness in its flow, and strength through difficult times of change, of cancer treatment and of other physical and mental health challenges. Under the guidance of Jurian Hughes, Coby Kozlowski, Yoganand Michael Carroll and, with a wonderful Sangha, this relationship grew and deepened through YTT at the Kripalu School of Yoga in 2015. In that following year of ongoing transition, Bruce moved to Ottawa, walked the Camino Frances and continues to explore, looking inward, while living outward. He volunteaches with “Freeing the Human Spirit”, a program of yoga and meditation in the regional detention centre, and with the Ottawa Carleton Association for Persons with Developmental Disabilities. Bruce substitute teaches at PranaShanti Yoga Centre, in Ottawa, and is grateful for the kindness and communities of PranaShanti and Adishesha studios and for Scott Minnes – amazing brother and teacher. Muchas gracias to Jessie Carson and María Figueroa for their thoughts and comments for this article. Bowing. Jai Bhagwan. peregrinobruce@gmail.com 
Devon French
Devon is a certified personal trainer, bootcamp instructor and a Hatha Yoga teacher who thinks outside the box. Devon combines his knowledge from many avenues of health and fitness to inspire others to try something unimaginably new. Having trained in ballet, circus, and a variety other movement arts for many years, Devon brings a balanced perspective to any modality of movement that he engages with. He weaves the insights gleaned from experiences such as 10-day silent Vipassana meditation retreat into the spaces he curates as a facilitator. As a father, Devon understands the value in creating community, and sees the great potential of this practice for furthering such foundations within our lives and relationships. Devon's warmth and approachability, coupled with years of experience, makes him a highly sought-after teacher by many in the local Vancouver community devonfrench87@gmail.com www.vancityacro.com 
Kara-Leah Grant
Kara -Leah is a retreat leader, yoga teacher and author. Along with partner, Ben Ralston, she runs Heart of Tribe, pouring her love into growing a world-wide tribe of courageous, committed and empowered individuals through leading retreats in New Zealand and Mexico. Kara-Leah is also the founder of New Zealand’s most popular yoga website, The Yoga Lunchbox, and author of Forty Days of Yoga—Breaking down the barriers to a home yoga practice and The No-More-Excuses Guide to Yoga. You can find Kara-Leah on her website, or on Facebook. www.karaleah.com connect@karaleah.com 
Leanne Wierzbicki
Leanne is a CYA-E-RYT 200+ hrs yoga teacher and has a BEd and HBA Eng. Leanne teaches Intuitive Hatha Yoga and Trauma Sensitive Yoga For First Responders. She is a High Vibration Living Coach and David Wolfe Certified Holistic Nutrition Coach. She is a featured Thought Leader Content Contributor to www.TheWellnessUniverse.com and is the author of the forthcoming book Soul Food: Transitioning to Compassionate Whole Food Choices That Heal Body, Mind and Spirit. www.BreatheLiveBelieve.com www.facebook.com/BreatheLiveBelieve twitter.com/GreenSpiritYogi ca.linkedin.com/in/leannewierzbicki The Wellness Universe profile: http://goo.gl/3tTS65 
Monique Ducharme-Pullen
First and foremost Monique is a wife, and loving mother to three beautiful children, whom she thanks for allowing her to pursue her passion for sharing yoga. She has been an avid yogi for just over 7 years, practicing and learning. Throughout the years, her journey has brought her to many different locations to practice with many great teachers – Nikki Doane and Eddie Modestini – Mayayoga & Ryan Leier – One yoga. Most recently she has deepened her studies into yoga therapy with Neuyogatherapy. To define her style is difficult because it is through the many teacher trainings and workshops that she has acquired the different offerings that she brings to her teaching. She feels that she can only teach what she believes to be true in her body. It is from this place that she offers. She asks her students to listen to what their bodies are saying to them and to expand from that knowledge within. Her studio space represents a safe, sacred place of sharing the offerings she has learned with those who wish to share alongside her and others. Instagram @middleagedyogi www.purityoga.simpl.com |
